Major league coach Alyssa Nakken has left the Giants to take on a new role with the Guardians in player development, according to a report by Maria Guardado of MLB.com. Nakken made history as the first woman to serve as a full-time coach in MLB when she was hired as an assistant coach by the Giants in 2020 under Gabe Kapler’s management. She remained with the team for five years in that position, even interviewing for the manager role in the 2023-24 offseason after Kapler was let go just before the end of the 2023 regular season. The Giants ultimately chose Bob Melvin as the manager, but Nakken stayed on as an assistant coach for the 2024 season.
Now, Nakken will be joining former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa in Cleveland under manager Stephen Vogt for the 2025 season. She will be taking on the role of assistant director of player development with the Guardians, although her specific responsibilities have not been determined yet. This could include deciding whether she will travel with the team; while she traveled with the Giants on road trips under Kapler, she stayed in San Francisco during most road trips under Melvin after giving birth to her first child in January.
Nakken’s departure is just one of several coaching changes happening in San Francisco this offseason. Pitching coach Bryan Price stepped down, and hitting coaches Pedro Guerrero and Justin Viele left the club for other opportunities. Assistant pitching coach J.P. Martinez has been promoted to fill Price’s role, but the Giants are still looking for a hitting coach to work alongside Pat Burrell. They may also need to find a replacement for Nakken now.
In other personnel news around the league, the Guardians have hired Bobby Kinne as their director of baseball operations. Kinne previously worked for the Rays as their major league pitching strategist and has worked his way up the ranks in the organization since starting as an intern in 2018. He will now have the opportunity to work with one of the top pitching staffs in the majors, as the Guardians’ pitchers had the third-best ERA in the league this year.
Meanwhile, the Pirates are promoting bullpen catcher Jordan Comadena to the role of major league catching coach. Comadena has been with the Pirates since 2016 and has been working closely with former first overall pick Henry Davis on his defense behind the plate. Davis, who has struggled at the plate in the majors, has transitioned back to catcher after initially playing as an outfielder. He will be competing for the catcher position next season alongside Joey Bart, Endy Rodriguez, and Jason Delay.
